ABOUT ME
At the end of the 60s, my parents bought me my first telescope, a Galaxie 60x700 on azimuth mount, in a luxurious wooden box. Then it was a relatively expensive instrument and the equipment was of good quality.
I enrolled in the Astronomical Society of France, and was probably one of its youngest members. I made my first observations and learned to find the constellations by myself. At that time, Saturn was high in the winter sky, it was a wonder. I discovered my first galaxies and without disappointment, since I knew it would not be like in the photos. A great moment was the transit of Mercury in front of the sun, on May 9, 1970. The telescope was equipped with a helioscope by projection. Adding a paper you just had to draw the progression of the planet. This process was also useful for sunspots.
In the late 1970s, some jobs during the Easter and summer holidays allowed me to pay for a Newton Perl 115x900 telescope with equatorial mount. The engine was a clockwork mechanism, a sort of alarm clock that had to be readjusted every twenty minutes. But it was great compared to the follow-up with two flexible controls of the azimuth mount. The 115x900 Newton is currently extremely criticized, but at the time it was manufactured by serious builders and was of good quality. The purchase of a 130 or 150 was not imaginable at that time, given its prohibitive price for a student.
Until recently, I had contented myself with observing remarkable phenomena: eclipses, planetary conjunctions, and the transit of Venus in 2004 for which I had acquired a 600 mm with mirror for my SLR.
In 2015, recently retired, a fellow astronomy debutant began sending me photos taken with his telescope. Then an acquaintance made an observation demonstration with his 400mm Dobson. The “star” virus appeared again very virulent and I began to study the current material for star photos. I opted for a Newton 200x1000 with equatorial NEQ6.
I quickly realized that a lot of patience is necessary and that we must accept the lost nights when nothing wants to work as it should and that problems accumulate. But the worst is when everything is ready, after two hours of preparation, assembly, refinement of adjustments and you think you have not forgotten anything and then the clouds come and you have to collect everything. At that time you curse the region where you live and its disgusting climate!
The photos taken with the telescope were taken since the end of the spring of 2016. This web continues to evolve over time with new photos. Certain objectives have been photographed on several occasions; this allows you to see the progress made or compare the methods used.
I dedicate these pages to my father who transmitted to me his passion for photography. Unfortunately, having disappeared too soon, He will not be able to see my photos taken with a telescope.
Jean-Marc THEBAULT
I enrolled in the Astronomical Society of France, and was probably one of its youngest members. I made my first observations and learned to find the constellations by myself. At that time, Saturn was high in the winter sky, it was a wonder. I discovered my first galaxies and without disappointment, since I knew it would not be like in the photos. A great moment was the transit of Mercury in front of the sun, on May 9, 1970. The telescope was equipped with a helioscope by projection. Adding a paper you just had to draw the progression of the planet. This process was also useful for sunspots.
In the late 1970s, some jobs during the Easter and summer holidays allowed me to pay for a Newton Perl 115x900 telescope with equatorial mount. The engine was a clockwork mechanism, a sort of alarm clock that had to be readjusted every twenty minutes. But it was great compared to the follow-up with two flexible controls of the azimuth mount. The 115x900 Newton is currently extremely criticized, but at the time it was manufactured by serious builders and was of good quality. The purchase of a 130 or 150 was not imaginable at that time, given its prohibitive price for a student.
Until recently, I had contented myself with observing remarkable phenomena: eclipses, planetary conjunctions, and the transit of Venus in 2004 for which I had acquired a 600 mm with mirror for my SLR.
In 2015, recently retired, a fellow astronomy debutant began sending me photos taken with his telescope. Then an acquaintance made an observation demonstration with his 400mm Dobson. The “star” virus appeared again very virulent and I began to study the current material for star photos. I opted for a Newton 200x1000 with equatorial NEQ6.
I quickly realized that a lot of patience is necessary and that we must accept the lost nights when nothing wants to work as it should and that problems accumulate. But the worst is when everything is ready, after two hours of preparation, assembly, refinement of adjustments and you think you have not forgotten anything and then the clouds come and you have to collect everything. At that time you curse the region where you live and its disgusting climate!
The photos taken with the telescope were taken since the end of the spring of 2016. This web continues to evolve over time with new photos. Certain objectives have been photographed on several occasions; this allows you to see the progress made or compare the methods used.
I dedicate these pages to my father who transmitted to me his passion for photography. Unfortunately, having disappeared too soon, He will not be able to see my photos taken with a telescope.
Jean-Marc THEBAULT